SDSU could lose as many as five assistant coaches from football staff

Jake Roth / USA Today Sports

San Diego State head coach Rocky Long already needs to replace two members of his staff and could be looking for as many as five new assistant coaches in the coming weeks.

San Diego State head coach Rocky Long already needs to replace two members of his staff and could be looking for as many as five new assistant coaches in the coming weeks. (Jake Roth / USA Today Sports)

San Diego State’s football coaching staff has remained largely intact during three years of unprecedented success.

One of the byproducts of that success is that other schools come calling for your coaches. This year that could result in SDSU head coach Rocky Long losing half the coaches on his staff.

Two SDSU assistant coaches already have departed: Special teams coordinator Bobby Hauck was hired Dec. 1 as head coach at Montana and defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales was hired Dec. 24 as defensive coordinator at Arizona State.

There is a possibility that SDSU linebackers coach Zach Arnett could join Hauck at Montana and that cornerbacks coach Tony White could be hired at Arizona State.

In addition, Long said some schools have contacted him about quarterbacks coach Blane Morgan in regard to open offensive coordinator positions.

“We consider it a compliment that so many of our coaches are being considered to be hired by other people,” Long said. “It will all work out by the middle of January, one way or the other.”

It may be a compliment, but it also is a complication.

“It will make it more difficult for us to win next year because now not only are you coaching players, you’re coaching coaches,” Long said. “Not that they’re not experienced or have the talent, but every system is different. Every organization is different. We do things differently here from where they’re coming from.

“Our offense and defense is different than where they came from. They will pick it up faster than players do, but it takes them awhile to get used to the system, too.”

Long said he expects to know what assistants, if any, are leaving by the conclusion of the American Football Coaches Association convention is Jan. 7-10 in Charlotte, N.C.

“If the only guy we lose on defense is Danny Gonzales, we’ll name a defensive coordinator from the guys that remain,” Long said. “If we lose three coaches on defense, we probably won’t name a defensive coordinator.”

Arnett played for Long at New Mexico and was a graduate assistant at SDSU before becoming linebackers coach in 2014. If Arnett is enticed to leave, it likely will be for greater responsibility since salaries at Montana, an FCS school, are lower than those at SDSU.

White was hired at SDSU in 2009 and added recruiting coordinator to his responsibilities two years later. He could receive a substantial raise at ASU. Retaining White would likely require him becoming SDSU’s defensive coordinator.

Whatever staff changes occur shouldn’t impact SDSU’s 2018 recruiting. Most of an expected 25-man recruiting class was filled in December during the new early signing period. SDSU is expected to sign 5-7 more players during the regular signing period, which begins February 7.

What could be impacted is the Aztecs’ spring football schedule.

“Replacements will be determined on how quickly we can get a quality guy,” Long said, “even to the point that if we have to bring three or four new coaches in here, we might push spring ball back to make sure the coaching staff is on the same page before we start working with the players.”

SDSU begins and ends spring football before most schools, typically from mid-February to mid-March. One reason for this is it allows a player injured in spring workouts more time to heal before summer practice begins in August.

Long’s preference also is to avoid having spring practice interrupted by spring break. SDSU’s spring break this year is March 26-30, which means spring football could be delayed until April and end six weeks later than Long would prefer.

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